


goodbye

by deadcourf



Category: In the Flesh (TV)
Genre: Angst, Gen, I love writing for kieren, I might do a rewrite of season 1 ep 3 so rick lives tho //, M/M, Soulmates, so yeah just enjoy this??, yeah i really have no idea what to tag this as
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-27
Updated: 2014-07-27
Packaged: 2018-02-10 17:03:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2032914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deadcourf/pseuds/deadcourf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>soulmate!au in which their is no color in the world until you meet your soulmate</p>
<p>with kieren and rick: one of them seeing the world in color, the other not. once one of them tells the other that it’s still in black and white and telling the truth, both of their worlds are in black and white  (headcanon by kierenlupin on tumblr)</p>
            </blockquote>





	goodbye

**Author's Note:**

> coda from the end of episode 2 of season 1, some dialogue is directly from the episode

The battered old truck cruised down the winding road, windows open and sixties blues echoing from the radio. The moon hung over the treetops, and Kieren leaned forward to take a peek at the white crescent and its pale yellow glow. Rick turned his head imperceptibly, flashing Kieren a quick smile, but Kieren could only nod in response.

Billy Macy sat in front of him, guiding the truck down toward the forest, where they would soon find two  _rotters_  by the cave.  _Their_  cave. Kieren shuddered just thinking about it.

He lost himself in the trees flying by as they darted around another corner. The world was inked in black beauty, although he still caught fleeting colors of orange and yellow - fireflies dancing in the dark. Their vibrant lights and liveliness brightened the mood, if only for Kieren.

When they finally stopped, the truck tucked away in the woods along with the other car following close behind, Rick held Kieren in the truck for a moment. He mumbled something about fixing a torch for Kieren. Everyone else accompanying them filed out, guns cocked and ready to fire. Bill wasn’t too pleased about leaving his son alone with one of  _them_ , but he kept his comments to himself.

The two, left alone in the truck, were silent for a long while.

"I only wanted to say I was sorry, Ren," Rick finally said. He fingered the barrel of his gun while he spoke, his voice low. "For how I left, although we  _did_  have a proper goodbye.”

Kieren snorted, “We drank a bottle of White Lightning, smoked some, messed around. Then the next day you were gone and I never heard from you. Not a word. And you call that a goodbye?”

"Jus’ wanted to make it easier on you," Rick mumbled, settling back into the passenger’s seat, his gaze focusing on something in the woods.

Kieren scoffed, “Wanted to make it easier on yourself, you mean? I sent thousands of letters. Why didn’t you reply to any of them?” He looked pointedly at Rick, who still wouldn’t meet his stare.

They knew any minute now that one of the boys off in the woods would be wondering where they were. But instead of walking off, they sat in the car and Kieren waited. He waited for Rick to confess for all the bullshit he’d left behind after moving off to Preston for basic training. He owed Kieren an explanation, if only that. There was no way they could move on, no chance at all, if the truth wasn’t spoken.

"Because I didn’t want to have to tell yer, alrigh’?" Rick spun around in his seat. He searched Kieren’s eyes, for what Kieren had no idea. Maybe he was trying to see behind the contacts, behind the cover-up. Or maybe Kieren’s heart was beating uncontrollably fast for no absolute reason.

"Tell me what?" Kieren whispered. Rick was only inches from his face, their noses almost touching. He could just as easily lean forward and press his lips to Rick’s as he could see the outline of Rick’s contacts. He swallowed the anxiety building in his chest and asked again, "Tell me  _what_ , Rick?”

Rick, his gaze unwavering, if a bit watery, muttered, “That the world’d gone back to… you know…”

"Oh."

The breath he had been holding in was squeezed from his lungs. Kieren could feel the blue of the upholstery slowly trickling down and away from his fingertips. Suddenly Rick’s eyes were a shade darker, his cream-colored skin a fleshy grey, and the shine of his leather jacket gone completely.

"I’m so sorry, Ren," Rick hid his face with a trembling hand. "It was me dad, he caught me by the neck one day an’ said… he said a lot of things. It was just better that way, Ren. It’s better this way."

Kieren shook his head, lips in a terse line. He couldn’t believe this; after surviving in a colorless world for weeks after hearing of Rick’s death, and here he was, back at square one. He had thought, foolishly, that with Rick’s return, maybe he… maybe they…

"That’s bullshit," he spat, "and you know it." He trembled as he spoke; he faced the window, looking at anything but Rick, but the once-emerald green scenery was as dark as the night sky. Everywhere he looked, everywhere he would look from now on, would reminder him of Rick,  _the bastard._ "What we had, that’s not something you can just toss away, Rick." In a softer voice, he added, "And you don’t have to do everything he says, you know. Not anymore."

Rick chuckled darkly and lazily turned his head against the headrest. “He’s me dad, Ren.”

_Oh of course, how silly of me to think otherwise._  Kieren rolled his eyes and slumped against the backseat. He had no reason to be here anymore. Not for this stupid renegade hunt or whatever the hell the others were up to right now. And now with both of their worlds colorless, there was nothing that could stop him from leaving.

Kieren popped his door open and began the trek back to the main road. He ignored Rick calling his name, ignored the footsteps following him a for a brief moment before they decided to turn in the other direction. His mind was set on home, and that was where he was headed.

Eventually his boots crunched on the gravel as he strolled down the road, the moon shining even brighter on the pavement, surrounded by smudges of grey.


End file.
